Earthmoving machines, such as bulldozers, may be used to move materials at a work site. Such machines may operate in an autonomous or semi-autonomous manner to perform ground moving tasks in response to commands generated as part of a work plan for the machine. The machine may receive instructions based on such a work plan to perform operations (e.g., cutting, digging, loosening, carrying, etc.) at the worksite.
If such a machine operates autonomously, it may remain consistently productive without needing manual operation. Autonomous control systems may also allow for operation in work sites or environments which may be unsuitable or undesirable for a human operator. Further, autonomous and semi-autonomous systems may also compensate for inexperienced human operators and inefficiencies associated with repetitive ground moving tasks.
Control of ground moving machines and their associated work tools or implements is often developed by an on-board or off-board control system. Conditions associated with work sites, operation environment, and/or the machine itself may affect operation of the control system. Also, such conditions may have an effect on the overall efficiency of the machine or its associated work cycle. It is beneficial to determine such conditions and manage the control of earthmoving machines to ensure that material moving operations are performed in an efficient manner. Similarly, the locations at which earthmoving machines alter surfaces of a work site, and/or the profiles along which the machines alter the surfaces, should be chosen such that the machine functions efficiently.
Rework is one problem which may arise and impair efficiency during earthmoving processes wherein multiple passes are made by the earthmoving machine. Rework entails a need to remove materials from an area of a work site in which materials have already been removed. In some situations, such as automatic slot extension and terrain extensions, a volume may be created downstream of the initial spread location, the volume being above a planned first pass. The volume above the first planned pass may create a valley upstream of the volume which is below the threshold of the first pass. In operation, the earthmoving machine may revert to the first planned pass due to this volume. For example, a control system may determine that the system must “jump” the pass back to the path of the first pass for a “compensated” cut prior to making a second pass. Because, during this “compensated” cut, the work implement cannot go below the carry surface of the first pass, dozed material may fall into the valley, instead of being directly dumped into a spread location. In these scenarios, rework may be required during the earthmoving operation. Rework may lead to inefficiencies or low productivity.